Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh)

Stornoway from
the Harbour, with Lews Castle in the Background

The name of Stornoway comes from the Norse for "Steering Bay", an
indication of the very early origins of the town. As the best natural harbour
in the Western Isles it was an obvious focus for development, and Stornoway
Castle was built as early as 1100 by the MacNicol family. The castle was later
captured by a Viking called Leod, who founded the dynasty that later became the
MacLeods of Lewis.

Clan disputes flared through the 1500s and the MacLeods remained a
thorn in the side of the Edinburgh government. In 1597
James VI adopted a new
approach to resolving the problems posed by his
Gaelic-speaking subjects. He
leased Lewis to a group of lowland
businessmen called the "Fife Adventurers" and authorised them to use all means
necessary, including what would today be called genocide, to "root out the
barbarous inhabitants".

The Fife Adventurers were beaten off by the the MacLeods, and
finally gave up after a third attempt in 1608. In response,
James VI withdrew the
MacLeod's charter in 1610 and granted Lewis to the MacKenzies of Kintail, who
ran their estates from afar.

Stornoway Castle was destroyed by
Cromwell's forces in 1653
and the last remains of it removed in the 1800s to provide foundations for a
pier. Its site lies somewhere near the ferry terminal. From 1661, Lewis became
part of Ross-shire and was
administered from distant Dingwall, an arrangement that was
to last until the creation of the Western Isles Council in 1975.

Stornoway grew through the 1700s, with some fifty slated buildings
existing in the town by 1789. The 1800s saw the town take advantage of the
herring boom, with as many as 6,000 fishermen operating from the port during its
peak, supported by large numbers of gutters and packers.

In 1844 Lewis was sold by the
MacKenzies to Sir James
Matheson for £190,000.
Matheson found an island
containing just one wheeled vehicle, and set to work building roads, training
islanders, establishing a daily mail service from
Portree and
Lochinver: and building Lews
Castle on a site overlooking the harbour. After a period of disuse, Lews Castle now serves as a museum and archive
for the Isle of Lewis. The Mathesons
in turn sold Lewis to Lord
Leverhume in 1918, who spent some time and a lot of money trying to
redevelop the island on a grand scale before giving up and turning his
attentions instead to Harris.

Stornoway's transport links improved with the establishment in the
1850s of steamer services to Glasgow via
Portree and to
Oban, and in 1894 there was a daily
steamer from the railhead at Strome Ferry, plus less frequent links to
Stromness and Liverpool. But
while the sea lay behind Stornoway's growth it also led to its most tragic
moment, on 1 January 1919. The ship Iolaire was wrecked while entering the
harbour and 205 Lewismen returning home after surviving the war were drowned
within sight of home. The scale of the tragedy can be appreciated when the
number who died is compared with the 1,000 islanders killed during the First
World War itself.

In 1934 air services started to Renfrew and
Inverness, and during world
War Two the RAF built what is now Stornoway Airport, just to the east of the
town. Today it continues to provide links to
Glasgow and
Inverness, as well as with
Benbecula. Transport by sea
has also improved. Car ferries replaced steamers from 1973, the start of the
service that now links Stornoway with
Ullapool.

Today's Stornoway is by far the largest settlement in the Western
Isles, a bustling and attractive town. The harbour remains busy with freight,
ferry and leisure traffic, and home to a significant fishing fleet. The shape
of the town is defined by the harbour, which partially surrounds it. A number
of the streets in the centre are pedestrianised, providing good access to an
interesting range of shops pleasantly different from the usual outlets
colonising most UK High Streets.

Visitors to Stornoway should be aware that Sunday
observance remains strong here. Transport links to
Lewis and Harris,
are now more readily available on a Sunday than they used to be. But many shops, petrol stations,
cafes, pubs, and visitor attractions are closed on Sundays. Sunday observance
is part of the culture of Lewis and Harris,
and part of what makes them unique.
However, given the difficulty in accessing services on a Sunday,
our advice would be to ensure you know exactly how your food, drink, transport
and accommodation is going to be provided in advance if your stay includes a Sunday.